William E. “Bill” Mills, Jr., 78, of Sandy Springs, Georgia and Wakulla County, Florida, died peacefully on March 15 after a two year battle with ALS. He was born in Geneva, Alabama, the son of William Earl Mills Sr. and Flora Clark, and was raised near Panama City, Florida. After graduating from Bay County High School, he served in the United States Air Force 93rd Bombardment Wing as a hydraulic engineer on some of the very first B-52 bombers. Bill then attended Florida State University where he earned a business degree in advertising. It was at FSU where he met his beloved wife, Eloise Baumer. While at FSU Bill was a member of the Flying High Circus, and he and Eloise were lifelong supporters of their alma mater. The family later established a needs-based scholarship in their name for FSU communications students, which continues to help students pursue their educational goals today. In 2010, Bill and Eloise were formally recognized as Distinguished Alumni by the university for their post-graduate achievements. Bill moved to Atlanta in 1958, where he began his advertising and marketing career with the Retail Credit Corp. (now Equifax) and ultimately served as the company’s director of advertising. He then served as vice president of marketing for the John H. Harland Company, as well as advertising manager for Citizens & Southern National Bank, partner in Sibley, Sheehan & Mills Public Relations and as copywriter for Liller, Neal, Battle and Lindsey. A sought after expert on marketing, Bill was published numerous times in industry publications and lectured regularly on the profession. In 1977, Bill and Eloise founded the William Mills Agency, the nation’s largest public relations and marketing firm serving the financial services industry. Under their direction and later, their sons, William and Scott, the agency has flourished to become one of Atlanta’s largest public relations firms, and was formally recognized by Atlanta mayor, Shirley Franklin, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Bill was also a committed member of his church, Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, where he was a former president of the EEE Sunday School class. He played active leadership roles in several civic organizations, including Kiwanis, the Atlanta Farmers Club and was a member of the Wakulla County Men’s Club, where he furthered his reputation as a raconteur of the highest order.
Bill was also a perennial fixture in the annual Peachtree Road Race and completed the world’s largest 10K race 35 times.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Eloise B. Mills; sons William Earl Mills III and his wife Alecia P. Mills; Martin Scott Mills and his wife Kim H. Mills; granddaughters Ryan Denea Parris Mills, Kristin Taylor Parris Mills, grandson Van Tyler Mills; great-granddaughter Ashton Taylor Parris Crawford; sister Joan Sears of Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and brothers Galen McEachin of Panama City, FL, Richard McEachin of Freeport, FL (Susan), Michael McEachin of Panama City, FL (Mary), and Joel McEachin of Jacksonville, FL (Debra); in addition to countless other family and friends that he touched deeply through the example of his rich life. There will be a visitation on Sunday, March 18 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at H.M. Patterson and Son, Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Road NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. After a private family interment at Georgia National Cemetery, a public memorial service will be held on Monday, March 19 at 3:00 pm at the Chapel of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church at 2715 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. Immediately following, family and friends are invited to Bill and Eloise’s home for a celebration of Bill’s life. A memorial service will be held in Florida at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the “Bill & Eloise Mills Scholarship” at Florida State University’s College of Communication & Information at https://one.fsu.edu/community/SSLPage.aspx?pid=809, select from the drop down menu “Designate a Fund” and enter “Bill & Eloise Mills #1753” or mailed to “FSU Foundation Fund #1753”, PO Box 3062739, 2010 Levy Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32301-2739.
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